Carlos Correa says that Twins hitting coach David Popkins doesn’t believe that Correa is already hitting six times a week -- so he sends videos every day as proof.

“He’s like, ‘Bro, no way you’re hitting six times a week,’” Correa said with a laugh.

In return, Popkins sends through videos of Correa’s teammates -- Jose Miranda and Alex Kirilloff -- who are already working similarly hard to build up from injuries.

“I like to be informed,” Correa said.

Though TwinsFest took place in late January, Correa said at that point that he already felt built up for Spring Training and that, most importantly, the foot that bothered him throughout 2023 was feeling much better. For the first time in three offseasons, Correa finally had the chance to work out and build up without worrying about a contract negotiation -- and he took advantage, knowing the importance of a bounceback season in ‘24.

“You know me,” Correa said. “I’m not going to blame my offensive struggles on [plantar fasciitis]. It was more than that. But this year, I’m going to show up healthy, ready to go. My swing feels great. I want to have a big year. That’s what I’m preparing for.”

Correa isn’t an excuse-maker, so he won’t say it outright, but it was obviously the plantar fasciitis in his left heel that contributed significantly to his paltry .230/.312/.399 slash line, with 18 homers and a below-average 94 OPS+ last season, struggling to find swing mechanics that would work for him through the pain.

Though the foot took longer than he expected to fully heal (without a surgical procedure), Correa said he felt good by late December, when he started running and sprinting. He’d already been hitting since November, marking his first time in “a while” that he started so early, he said.

Popkins will come down to Correa’s home in Houston a few times, the shortstop said, and teammates like Nick Gordon and Miranda will also be there, as Correa eagerly anticipates debuting a simpler, more efficient swing in 2024 that he hopes will reset the mechanical struggles of ‘23 and help him rebound from the worst full-season numbers of his career.

It’s been a largely quiet offseason for the Twins, but the hope is that the brunt of their improvement could come from within -- from healthy, closer-to-full seasons from Correa, Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis. Buxton and Correa, the centerpieces of the roster, performed at well below their expectations throughout 2023, while Lewis was limited to only 58 games due to his injuries.

Correa is ready to turn that narrative around -- and he’s been working hard to make that happen.

“I found a spot where I feel comfortable, where I feel I can drive the ball and be consistent and be repeatable with my mechanics,” Correa said. “You guys will see.”

There’s not much to say here other than this: The Twins will go as far at third base as Lewis will take them.

Lewis was a revelation for the Twins throughout the time he was healthy during the 2023 regular season and into the playoffs, when he crushed four homers in the Twins’ six-game run through the American League Wild Card Series and Division Series. The Twins treated him as such during TwinsFest, when he was the clear centerpiece of the group in terms of fanfare and attention.

If the 2024 regular season is to be Lewis’ full coming-out party, he’s set up about as well as he could have hoped. For the first time since he entered the Major League picture, he has the opportunity to utilize a full, healthy offseason of training instead of injury recovery -- and he also knows what position he’s going to play.

Where things stand

Current MLB depth (with 2023 stats):
Lewis (age 24, 58 G, 2.4 WAR, 155 wRC+, 15 HR, .309/.372/.548)
Kyle Farmer (age 33, 120 G, 1.7 WAR, 101 wRC+, 11 HR, .256/.317/.408)
Willi Castro (age 26, 124 G, 2.6 WAR, 109 wRC+, 9 HR, .257/.339/.411)

There won’t be much of a timeshare here. Now that the Twins are a year removed from Lewis’ second ACL recovery, there shouldn’t be limits on his usage, and so long as he stays healthy, he should be the everyday starter here.

It looks like Farmer’s primary role will be in platooning with Edouard Julien at second base and in backing up Correa at shortstop, but he should also be the primary backup here. One of the few things that might move Lewis away from the hot corner could be an extended injury to Correa.

The Twins have said they’re going to keep Lewis fresh at shortstop in case he’s needed, and if an extended opportunity presents itself there, it might make sense to shift him over and slot Brooks Lee into third base, where the prospect has seen some time in Triple-A St. Paul.

Key question: Can Lewis actually keep this up (and stay healthy)?
Lewis’ 2023 numbers put him on pace to hit .309/.372/.548 with 42 homers and 145 RBIs in 162 games. (For what it’s worth, he was also on pace for 11 grand slams.) Obviously, it’s unreasonable to expect him to do that -- though he has seemingly blown past the bounds of what would be considered reasonable at every step along the way.

Most advanced projection systems have Lewis as a solid 3-4 WAR player with 20-30 homers and a wRC+ in the 120-130 range (20-30 percent above average) -- which seems more reasonable if he stays healthy.

Logic says he’s due for a slump at some point -- but he has largely avoided that so far, and if there’s anything to have been learned from his short career, it’s to not count anything out.

In the pipeline (with MLB Pipeline ranks)
Lee (No. 18 overall, Triple-A St. Paul)

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